Duration: 01.10.2009 – 30.09.2013
    TUGraz: 01.10.2009 – 30.06.2011
    VMI: 01.07.2011 – 30.09.2013

Project management: Dr. Bernd Fuchsbichler

Funding: Neue Energien 2020 (2. Ausschreibung)

Partner: Platingtech Beschichtungs- GmbH (AUT)

The goal of the NEULIBE project is to improve energy and power density of Lithium -Ion batteries by the use of three-dimensional current collectors based on metallized polymer non wovens.

Currently copper and aluminum foils are mostly used as current collectors in lithium ion batteries. Because they offer, apart from a certain roughness of their surfaces, basically only a 2-dimensional area of contact to the rest of the electrode components, thereby only a relatively small contact area between these foils and the electrochemical active material is given. The resulting poor electron transport may be one of the reasons for poor electrode kinetics and rate capability of such electrodes.

Three-dimensional current collectors have a significantly larger contact area than the above-mentioned current collector foils, whereby the electrical connection of the active materials is remarkably improved. A further advantage of three dimensional current collectors consists in an improvement of the mechanical stability of such electrodes by embedding of the active material into the three dimensional network of the current collector. This is essential especially in the use of high-capacity anode materials (for example silicon or tin), since these active materials are associated with major volume changes during lithiation and delithiation.

Therefore, three-dimensional current collectors have the potential to become a key technology for the next generation of lithium -ion batteries.